Winter 2013 competition - And the winner is..
Back by popular request, competition time is here again.
Have you all managed to store your family history information so that you know where to find everything or is it scribbled on scraps of paper that are littering the dining table? The prize for this competition is a CD of Family History Research Record Forms supplied by Maxbal Genealogy. Not only are there colour forms for you to print off, but also GRAMPS Family Tree Software Program, a relationship chart and a 2,500 year perpetual calendar! All of this would make your research so much easier.
What do you have to do to secure this marvellous CD? Occupations of some of our ancestors can be fascinating – even that of an Agricultural Labourer! So, as very kindly suggested by Lizzy9, we would like to read about…. A day in the life of a ?????? in the nineteenth century. Please replace the ????? with an occupational title of your choice.
Post your entries on this thread and we will have a poll at the end of the competition time so that you can vote for the winner. The closing date and time for this competition will be 3:30pm GMT on Sunday 10th February, which is when the poll will open.
Good luck everybody and I will certainly look forward to reading all about those 19th century occupations.
also added....
A day in the life of an agriculural labourer.
My 3xGt.Gramps, woke up, went out and worked in the fields. In the 'quiet' moments of his life, he and his wife, produced 8 children. The sons, in turn, did the same except for one, who had 11 children.
So whatever they touched in there mundane lives, at least it grew.
Steve.:cheers2:
Mount Edgcumbe Training Ship Inmate
A Day In The Life Of An Inmate on Mount Edgcumbe Industrial Training Ship for Homeless and Destitute Boys 1878
Hello, I'm Billy Baines. I'm 11 years old, although people think I'm 12 'cos that's what my mum told the Magistrates. She told them she couldn't control me, but I think she wants rid of me - she got married again and has a new family now. (My older sister has gone to work as a servant. My younger brother is living with my gran.)
So here I am on the 'Mount Edgcumbe', moored off Saltash (Devon). There are 250 of us. This morning (like every other) we were woken at 0550h, dressed and stowed our hammocks, got the tables and benches onto the main deck and had half an hour for breakfast. By 0700h the tables were stowed away and the school desks put in their place.
I was on "Port Watch", so from 0700h to 1000h I was on the Upper Deck with Instructor Farlow - Gunnery. We practised cleaning and dismantling the carbines. I like learning about the guns - it's more fun than learning how to splice ropes and tie all the different knots. (My fingers are raw after handling wet rope for 3 hours!)
From 1000h to 1300h our watch had Cookery Instruction with Seaman Sullivan. We prepared the ship's lunch. I hate peeling potatoes! But at least it was warm in the galley. And I saw Miss Nellie, Captain Price Knevitt's eldest daughter. (I got birched for staring, but she's worth it!)
"Starboard Watch" set up the main deck for lunch after their school lessons, so we served the food and ate. By 1400h we ("Port Watch") had the school desks set up again and spent until 1700h learning to read and write with Mr Gitsham and I even did a bit of arithmetic. And I only had the birch once! ('cos I got a spelling wrong).
Tea-time was a disaster. I forgot about the "invisible lines" dividing the "messes"! I went to ask Seaman Tesdale about tomorrow's Seamanship practice in the 'Goshawk' and forgot to ask permission to move. Another lashing with the birch! OW!
From 1730h I practised with the band (I like the drum, but I want to learn the bugle). At 2000h everyone came back below decks to the dormitory, slung up the hammocks and now I'm ready for sleep. I'll stay here on the 'Mount Edgcumbe' until I'm 16, then they'll sling me off. I think I'll join the Royal Marines. That's what my Dad was, and Mum's new bloke is a Marine, too. (Mum likes the uniform)
(Names are accurate; detail is poetic licence. I don't know what happened to William Baines after 1881. His mother married my ancestor and seems to have abandoned her first 3 children)
The Inquest 11th May 1878
Last Saturday must ’ave been one of the worst day of our lives. We’ll remember Thursday right enough, but Saturday was worse. It started off fine, with me and George doing our usual, me getting the littluns ready for the day and George going off to Farmer Elliott’s, his master. The master had said George could finish early so as us could go into Barnstaple to see George’s mother, us having been obliged to take her into the House on Thursday. He even offered us the use of his cart again, for he lent us it to take her in – he is a very good man and George has done well to be working for him. To tell the tale as short as I can, Mother had been living with us for a few weeks, her not being able to look after herself no more. She was a very great age – 80 I believe - and was almost stone deaf. ‘Cause of that, she’d to rely on me and my maid Rosa to look after her, which was very hard, as she didn’t get out of her bed after she moved in. Rosa is only 9, but she is a big help, she do ‘er best to help me. Anyhows, afore we could set out on Saturday afternoon, Mr Vickery the relieving gentleman, rode up to tell us that Mother had gone. He was a bit short with us and told us we ‘ad to get to the House to attend an inquest on Mother that very afternoon as we could be in a lot of trouble. We were so flummoxed and upset, but as we ‘ad the Master’s cart we set off almost at once in a right state. We left the maids and little Henry with Alice next door and we managed the journey in less than two hours. When we got to the House we were that scared, to tell the truth of it, I cannot remember very much of what happened next.
The Coroner was a kindly man but firm, as us heard tell from others, but I was still afeard. Mr Vickery told him that Mother wanted to go into the House, as she had said so in front of him when he called a week ago after we applied for some extra relief. He told us there could be no more money and so we should take Mother into the House as soon as possible, her being so frail and old. Mother knew that George’s brother’s maid was helping out the nurses in the House, she said she would be quite happy to go in until she got her strength back, she’d been in once before and so wasn’t bothered. The Coroner wanted to know how much Mother was getting in relief and I told him it was 2s 6d a week but us hoped us might get a few extra pence as I couldn’t go out to do any work being as I had to look after her.
At the time, George’s master was away for a few days and we knew no-one else with a horse and cart that we could borrow, so we waited till Farmer Elliott came home. He was willing to lend us the cart, but he said it would have to wait till Thursday, as he needed it till then. The Coroner said that it was waiting till Thursday what us done wrong and why us was here being asked questions, we should have made more effort to get Mother in to Barnstaple workhouse sooner. I explained that as soon as us had use of the cart, us filled it with straw, put in a feather pillow and some blankets and took Mother to the House. She was very weak and so George carried her in when we arrived and she was put to bed. Betty was on duty and came along to see her settled in, so us went home knowing she was being looked after.
The Coroner asked if I had been able to keep Mother clean and fed and I answered that I had, but that I had been run off my legs trying to cope as I had to do everything for her. Having three small children as well (our other seven children were either married or in service) it made life very difficult, but she was George’s mother and that was all there was to it. After some more questions, the Coroner spoke to Dr Lane who had seen Mother about two weeks ago. He said that Mother was really too poorly to have been kept at home and that she should have been sent to the House sooner, but he did not think it would have made any difference to her living any longer. He said us should have asked him to see Mother again when we couldn’t take her in at the beginning of the week.
The Coroner said it was a pity Mother hadn’t been sent to the House sooner but there was no reason to blame us for anything – the Guardians of the Union had to report the death to him, it was the law. He then had a private talk with the gentlemen who made up the jury and told us that they had decided that Mother had died of extreme old age and that us could go home. I should have felt relieved but all I wanted to do was cry – us never got to say goodbye to Mother and that will always stay with me.
Ann